Dominant First Half Propels Rugby to Big Win

Front Royal, VA- The Christendom Rugby team took on the Keydets of the Virginia Military Institute out of Lexington, VA, on Saturday, September 11. The Crusaders came out with a commanding 74-7 win. 

In the first half, Kevin Howerton(Sophomore) opened up the scoring with a try in the fifth minute of the game. This was closely followed with tries from Hugh Wingate(Sophomore) and Owen Kennedy(Senior). At around the 20 minute mark of the first half, the Crusader offense really started to click, proceeding to score five tries in the following 20 minutes. Matthew Westin(Junior) scored a try in the 21st minute, and then Wingate proceeded to score three of the next four tries for the Crusaders, with Kennedy scoring the other. This offensive burst took Christendom into the half with a 50-0 lead. 

The Keydets made a push in the early part of the second half, scoring a try in the 5th minute. But the Crusaders responded with yet another try from Kennedy, shutting down the momentum for VMI, allowing the Crusaders to control the game and close it out easily. Tries in the second half following Kennedy's try would be scored by Wingate, Howerton, and Dominic Difalco(Sophomore). Wingate finished with 5 tries on the day, with Kennedy adding 3 more. Thomas Santschi(Junior) went 5/8 on kicks for the day, while Andrew Mead(Sophomore) would go 2/4. 

The Crusaders will play Hampden Sydney college next Saturday at home on Crusader Fields.